So while I'm almost certainly going with Goose Gear drawers and their manufactured plate I need a quick fix to mount my fridge before a trip and also wanted to test the idea on the cheap prior to throwing down $500 on some plywood with holes (I realize it's a lot more than just that or I wouldn't even consider it).

I just finished pulling the carpet and styrofoam out of the cargo area but I don't see any obvious bolt holes. The Goose Gear plate is said to not require cutting or drilling, but when I look at where their apparent bolt holes are there are no corresponding holes let alone nuts in my cargo deck. Those of you that have done something similar, where are you bolting down? In a pinch I could use the holes where the fender cover trim bolts but I'd rather not.

I bet they remove the front tie-downs and use those anchor points.

That or insert riv-nuts in the two holes in the center of the crosspiece towards the front of the car.

That's what I did for my storage space.

Without drilling and tapping, that's all you got.

Yeah, I think that's part of the 3D aspect of their plate. The pictures defintely look like they're using the four holes that the two saddle brackets bolt to. I was planning on just using the saddle brackets for my make shift plywood plate as those seem to be coplanar with the crossmember and the side "rails". I just don't know how to tie it down toward the hatch-side. If there's no drilling needed for this plate where do those two holes go?

If you wanted "cheap" you should have done what I did, cut one small piece of plywood and anchor to the tie downs. I am going to get a slide and build something nice but for a temporary $25 solution it's worked better than I expected.

Do you mean you cut it with "ears" to use the hatch-side anchor points?

Well, I think I solved the mystery. Goose Gear must have based theirs around a 4R with the OEM sliding cargo shelf.

I found this image from @harper7 's cargo slider removal thread. Here you can see the stock captured nuts that the slider bolts to. I would've thought that'd just be a standard thing though.

IIRC Sliding cargo tray is port/dealer option/addon for model years 2014 and up for trail std and premium. Maybe see if you can dig up some info from an OEM etailer or dealership.

What I think I'll do is just install some rivnuts. Since I don't have the dimensions of the GG plate I'll just reference the photo for the general area and avoid that, then put new ones in when I have the GG plate and can locate the needed hole with precision.

I'll be sure to drop the spare before doing any drilling...

Post #29

Jhalko's 2011 Limited build/travel thread

Link that in your sig! You lucked out in that your year has the mounts in a rectangle within the boundaries of the carpetted area. That should be easy to replace with a plywood plate. In the later models the hatchside anchors are in the nooks on the side and recessed in a contoured plastic trim piece.

I always thought it was because of the third row, the funny thing is that I've seen a lot of setups using the tie downs on the sides and always thought it would be better, guess not.

I would need to find time to update my thread if I'm going to link to it!

Cool idea! I came here by way of the overland thread in the general discussion forum. I have thought about building one of those awesome looking drawer designs, but after seeing this, I want to give this some thought. I am a big fan of modular components. I like the flexibility that this combination or base plate tray, tie downs, and cargo boxes offer. How is it holding up for you? Do you still like it? And would you make any changes?

Thanks! So far my tweaked layout has worked awesome for me. I've used it on a few family trips and a couple of solo outings. The combo of the ARB 50 qt fridge and four of the Plano 1619 68 qt bins is a perfect fit in the 4Runner, and still leaves the rear window clear. With my latest setup and the switch to the one-way rope straps I can open the top bins without unstrapping, providing some level of drawer convenience. This setup also leaves about 10" behind the rear seat that I use for a couple of chairs and miscellaneous stuff. On our Christmas trip we had one bin with all my EDC tools and recovery gear, then three bins with the family's clothes and spare space for hauling back "Christmas loot". The open sides along the fenders were great for stuffing things like the dog's food bag, laptop bags, and our overnight back for the hotel.

It would be nice to have the fridge on a slide, but I haven't felt it's required. Doing so would make the fridge portion too wide, no longer allowing the 2x2 combo with the Plano bins, and I'm not ready to make that sacrifice just yet.

As long as I'm not worried about all the hardware, I can have an empty, flat cargo area in a minute, the majority of that time spent hauling the fridge into the house and deciding where to stow it. I used the t-nuts so that in a pinch I can remove the tie-down cleats if necessary and that would be reasonably quick with a drill/driver.

While I might still end up with a fridge slide and the Goose Gear double vertical stack drawers later down the line, this is an ideal best-of-both-worlds alternative that left me with a lot of cash to put toward other elements of my build for now.

[Edit] I left this thread half-finished really, but put the details of the completed project in my build thread. Here is the initial prototype layout before switching strap style and tie down locations, and then after the finishing steps.

Cool! I will have to check your build thread out to get some ideas. Happy trails!

Rear drawer slides.

Raycie's Trail Build


I also wanted the GG plate, but shipping to Hawaii would cost more than the plate itself plus I would have to drill the plate immediately to attach my custom slide.

Upon talking with GG, they use the factory attachments (if equipt with the factory slide), or use "ear brackets" and attach to the rear tie-down bolts (if no rear slide mounting points). This is truly a "no-drill" option.

I ended up drilling 4 holes in the rear, lining the back with sound dampener, and then painting my 3/4" birch ply with Duplicolor Bed Armor. I then used grade 8 bolts and RTV silicone on the top and bottom of the bed/attachment. I even shaved down the plastic tabs that are covering up some kind of attachment point our trucks don't use...

I am very happy with the end result and how everything came together. The only thing (small) in retrospect is that the foam is a bit thicker than 3/4". Because I have the foam on the opposite side, there is the slightest lip. If I used 1" ply, it would have been pretty spot on..